Turret type sole press



June 23, 1970 H. E. MARASCO TURRET TYPE SOLE PRESS f2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Filed Oct. 31, 1968 BY %W// C 7 FIG. I

June 23, 1970 H. E. MARASCO TURRET TYPE SOLE PRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 061;. 31, 1968 United States Patent 3,516,101 TURRET TYPE SOLE PRESS Harold E. Marasco, Beverly, Mass., assignor to Marasco Shoe Machinery Company, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 31, 1968, Ser. No. 772,241 Int. Cl. A43d 89/00 US. Cl. 12--36.8 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sole press of the turret type having a series of turret stations each provided with a shoe supporting jack and an associated pad box, together with clutch-controlled indexing mechanism for the turret, fluid pressure connections to the pad boxes and a valve system including an independent valve for controlling the clutch of the turret indexing mechanism independently of the fluid pressure connections to the turret stations.

This invention comprises a new and improved fluid pressure valve system for controlling the operation of a turret sole press in its function of automatically subjecting shoes seriatim to sole laying pressure, indexing the turret with pressure dwells and releasin the treated shoes.

In sole presses of the turret type it is often desired to index the turret for one or more rotary steps when no shoe is jacked in operative position at a turret station. If a shoe is not in position at such time the pad is likely to be damaged by destructive contact with parts of the jack. Accordingly, an important feature of the present invention is a valve system in which indexing of the turret may be effected as by push button control at any time and without inflation of the pads. Such a valve system contributes greatly to the convenience of the operator and safeguards the pads against being torn, stretched or distorted.

In order to effect the desired results the improved sole press is provided with an independent valve, preferably of the push button type, which controls the clutch of the indexing mechanism and acts independently of compressed air connection with the pad boxes. It thus constitutes a stand-by facility that can be safely utilized at any convenient time as for example to bring an empty turret station up to loadin position.

The valve system of my invention also includes a separate valve, preferably treadle operated, for initiating the full cycle of the machine when shoes have been properly jacked at each station of the turret. In this case tripping of the foot operated valve opens compressed air connections to the pad boxes, then subjects the jacked shoes to sole laying pressure and proceeds to index the turret through consecutive indexing steps and pressure dwells.

It has been found that a sole press thus equipped is capable of producing 20 to 30 pairs of shoes per day more than a similar but unequipped press.

Another feature of the invention comprises a valve system including a shuttle valve operated by fluid pressure and acting automatically to shut off fluid pressure connection to the pad boxes and jacks when the push button valve is opened, and to shut off fluid pressure connections to the indexing mechanism during inflation of the pads.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of the lower portion of a press equipped with my novel valve system,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view at right angles to that of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bottom plate and driving mechanism.

The novel valve system of the present invention is herein shown as embodied in the turret sole press of my US. Letters Pat. No. 2,813,282 to which reference may be had for further details of construction.

The cylindrical turret 10 is rotatably mounted in a frame comprising a circular top plate or table 11, a cylindrical casing 12 and a circular bottom plate 23 which is connected to the top plate by three columns 24. A Geneva cam 13 is fast to the bottom of the turret and driven by a disk 14 secured to the upper end of a vertical shaft 15 which is supported for rotation between the top and bottom plates. At its lower end the shaft 15 carries a beveled gear 16 meshing with a beveled gear 17 on one end of a horizontal shaft 18. The shaft 18 is connected through a clutch 19 to a large sprocket wheel 20 driven by a smaller sprocket wheel 21 and through gear reduction mechanism by a motor 22 secured to the bottom plate 23. The clutch 19 is controlled by a compressed air cylinder 25 connected to a line of pressure pipe 26.

Compressed air is supplied to the system through an inlet supply pipe 28 having a pressure regulator 29 and two outlets. Of these one outlet pipe 30 leads to a T 31 having an outlet 32 which serves to supply compressed air to the reservoir contained within the turret 10. This reservoir has compressed air connections to the pad boxes (not shown) of the turret.

From the branch outlet of the T 31 leads a pipe 33 to a push button or indexing valve 34 secured to the top plate 11.

From the valve 34 also leads a pipe 35 which is connected to the upper end of a shuttle valve 36 mounted upon an upright bracket within the body of the press. From the lower end of the shuttle valve 36 extends a pressure pipe 37 leading upwardly to a starting valve 38.

A second pressure pipe 39 leads from the pressure regulator 29 to a foot valve 40 arranged to be operated by a treadle 41 and connected through a pressure pipe 44 with the shuttle valve 36.

The shuttle valve 36 is an article of commerce manufactured under US. Letters Pat. No. 3,092,130 to which reference may be had for details of construction. It operates when the treadle 41 is depressed to shut off compressed air leading to the push button valve 34 of the indexing system and to the pipe 27 leading to the foot valve 40. On the other hand when the push button valve 34 is operated the shuttle valve is operated to shut off air leading to the foot valve 40 and the starting valve 38. As already stated the push button valve may be operated when it is desired to index the turret without inflating the pad boxes or the jack elements.

Having properly positioned the shoe, the operator first depresses the foot treadle 41 whereupon the pad is at once inflated and the shoe bottom subjected to the full fluid pressure of the system. He then depresses the start ing valve 38 whereupon the turret is indexed 60 in a counterclockwise direction. The operator now proceeds to load each pressure unit as it comes to him with a lasted shoe and sole, and in each case the work is held under fluid pressure during the full revolution of the turret. At the conclusion of each full revolution the pad arriving before the operator has been automatically deflated by action of a deflating cam (not shown).

It will be apparent that the shutle valve allows for compressed air flow from either the indexing valve 34 or the foot treadle valve and it also provides an effective seal against air leaking back throu h either of the unused valves.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz" 1. A turret sole press having a compressed air reservoir, a clutch and clutch-controlled indexing mechanism including operating connections with the reservoir and a starting valve in said connections, a separate indexing valve also having compressed air connections to the clutch of the indexing mechanism, and a shuttle valve arranged to close the connections to the indexing valve when the starting valve is opened.

2. A turret sole press as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the shuttle valve is arranged to close connections to the starting valve when the indexing valve is opened.

3. A turret sole press as described in claim 1, further characterized in that compressed air connections extend to a common shuttle valve from the said starting valve,

the indexing valve and the clutch of the indexing mechanism." i

4. A turret sole press as described in claim 1, wherein a valved stand-by system of fluid pressure is provided for the indexing mechanism, another valved system of fluid pressure is provided for pad inflation, and a shuttle valve is provided for automatically cutting off and isolating the latter system when the former is operating.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,274 5/ 1943 Stratton 12-3 6.8 2,813,282 11/1957 Marasco 1236.8

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

